Cruz pushes legislation to designate Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization

Sen. Ted Cruz introduced new legislation last Thursday calling for the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization. Cruz authored similar legislation in 2017.

The Senate bill is cosponsored by Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

Rep. Mario Diaz Balart of Florida introduced a similar bill in the House of Representatives.

His bill is cosponsored by Reps. Kay Granger (R-Texas), Chuck Fleishmann (R-Tenn.), Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), John H. Rutherford (R-Fla.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), and Pat Fallon (R-Texas).

Known as the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, the bill would require the U.S. Department of State to use its statutory authority to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). It would further require the Department of State to report to Congress on whether the Muslim Brotherhood meets the legal criteria for such a designation.

According to a press release from Cruz’s office, such a bill would “enable the U.S. to take action that could stifle the funding they receive to promote their malign activities.”

Democrats, however, have pushed back on Cruz’s efforts and the Biden administration has recently pressured the Egyptian government to release a member of the Brotherhood’s leadership.

“The Biden Administration is currently withholding $130 million in security and counterterrorism assistance to the Egyptian government, unless 16 unnamed prisoners, among whom may be included a virulent anti-Semitic jihadist cleric, are released from Egyptian prisons,” said Kyle Shideler, Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy.

This move ultimately comes as no surprise, as the Obama administration “repeatedly associated with Muslim Brotherhood leaders and operatives,” Shideler added.

To date, the United States’strongest allies in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates – have all designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

“The Muslim Brotherhood founded Hamas, the Jihadist terrorist organization dedicated to replacing Israel with an Islamic state,” Shideler noted. “In fact, the Hamas charter self-identifies the terrorist group as a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US State Department.”

Last week, Cruz blasted the Biden administration on the Senate floor for “boosting” religious extremists in the Middle East.

“Once again, the Biden-Harris administration is boosting the Muslim Brotherhood and other religious extremist groups in the Middle East,” Cruz said. "They’re elevating the Palestinians at the expense of our Israeli and Arab allies. And they’re dismantling pressure on Iran. And once again, they are hiding those details from Congress.”